During this visit, you should work with one or more groups of students if you haven't already, and observe your teacher doing the same. For this journal entry, describe your teacher's teaching style. What type of relationships with students does he or she nurture in his or her classes? How do students perceive that power is distributed in the classes? Does this vary within or across the different classes the teacher has? Cite examples from your observations to support your inferences. Remember to reflect on what style of teaching you will gravitate toward and the how you want to be perceived by your students.
Observation:
My high school CT teaches 3 classes of Biology at the honors level, one Biology at the basics level, and an honors Anatomy and Physiology class. I find that her relationships with students vary significantly from class to class. For example, the Anatomy and Physiology class is full of students that she's already had in the past for honors Biology. From what I see in the classroom, my CT has a very close and personal relationship with these students. She jokes around with them and trusts them to be hard workers in class even when she steps out of the room for a bit. The students respect my CT. They all contribute to class discussions and pay attention when my CT is talking. Right now she is in the process of writing college letters of recommendations for the most of the class, which is more evidence of close relationships between teacher and student.
There is a different kind of atmosphere in the honors and basics Biology classrooms. Since she doesn't know these students as well, my CT is a little more reserved when teaching them. Students raise their hands to speak, as opposed to the A&P class where there is always open discussion. My CT keeps these classes under a little more structure. She assigns their seats and lab partners, checks their homework more often and more closely, and paces around the room more often. I can tell that the students perceive most of the power to lie in the teacher's hands.
In the middle school, my CT's teaching style is the same throughout all three of her science classes. She is a pretty strict teacher and always expects students to be following the agenda written on the chalkboard. Last time I was there, my CT starting taking participation points off from the students who had not begun the warm-up activity after five minutes of being in the classroom. Her lessons are mostly teacher-directed, with her using either the chalkboard, overhead, or textbook to explain the new topic. She frequently asks for student volunteers to read from the textbook or answer questions to make sure they are always engaged. I don't see many students ask questions while working on labs or partner work, which suprises me for sixth graders.
Reflection:
As a teacher, I would like to be viewed as strict but approachable. I want my students to understand that I expect them to always put forth their best effort and know that I am always available for extra help or clarification. I admire the relationships that my CT has developed over the years with her A&P students. I realize that this sort of relationship has to come with time, and I am glad I get to watch her develop those relationships with her new students. I like how students in the middle school know that they always have to be on task. However, I would encourage students to ask questions more and would hope students feel comfortable and confident enough to share ideas and answers in my classroom.
Observation:
My high school CT teaches 3 classes of Biology at the honors level, one Biology at the basics level, and an honors Anatomy and Physiology class. I find that her relationships with students vary significantly from class to class. For example, the Anatomy and Physiology class is full of students that she's already had in the past for honors Biology. From what I see in the classroom, my CT has a very close and personal relationship with these students. She jokes around with them and trusts them to be hard workers in class even when she steps out of the room for a bit. The students respect my CT. They all contribute to class discussions and pay attention when my CT is talking. Right now she is in the process of writing college letters of recommendations for the most of the class, which is more evidence of close relationships between teacher and student.
There is a different kind of atmosphere in the honors and basics Biology classrooms. Since she doesn't know these students as well, my CT is a little more reserved when teaching them. Students raise their hands to speak, as opposed to the A&P class where there is always open discussion. My CT keeps these classes under a little more structure. She assigns their seats and lab partners, checks their homework more often and more closely, and paces around the room more often. I can tell that the students perceive most of the power to lie in the teacher's hands.
In the middle school, my CT's teaching style is the same throughout all three of her science classes. She is a pretty strict teacher and always expects students to be following the agenda written on the chalkboard. Last time I was there, my CT starting taking participation points off from the students who had not begun the warm-up activity after five minutes of being in the classroom. Her lessons are mostly teacher-directed, with her using either the chalkboard, overhead, or textbook to explain the new topic. She frequently asks for student volunteers to read from the textbook or answer questions to make sure they are always engaged. I don't see many students ask questions while working on labs or partner work, which suprises me for sixth graders.
Reflection:
As a teacher, I would like to be viewed as strict but approachable. I want my students to understand that I expect them to always put forth their best effort and know that I am always available for extra help or clarification. I admire the relationships that my CT has developed over the years with her A&P students. I realize that this sort of relationship has to come with time, and I am glad I get to watch her develop those relationships with her new students. I like how students in the middle school know that they always have to be on task. However, I would encourage students to ask questions more and would hope students feel comfortable and confident enough to share ideas and answers in my classroom.